Wangaratta Rural City Council has taken a leading role in the initiation, planning and construction of two joined up Government projects: the Wangaratta Government Centre and Wangaratta Library and Community Resource Centre.
Wangaratta Mayor, Councillor Don Joyce, said the recently completed Wangaratta Government Centre project will enable a number of Government departments to colocate, creating a one stop shop for the local community. He said the Wangaratta Library and Community Resource Centre project is a joint venture with the Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE and the High Country Library Corporation.
“The Wangaratta Government Centre will see strengthened partnerships between government departments that are currently based in Wangaratta, bringing them together under one roof,” Mayor Joyce said. “The one stop shop approach will provide a number of practical outcomes that will benefit the community. Customers can be offered service from each or all of the partners in the centre. This has been particularly valuable in response to the current drought, as information and advice from a number of agencies can be provided to affected persons.”
Mayor Joyce said that in the past, community members needed to visit several locations to obtain all the available advice.
“The occupancy arrangements have provided government agencies with high quality accommodation and is expected to provide cost savings, primarily in the sharing of resources,” he said. “This will help to ensure that these agencies continue to locate in Wangaratta rather than other regional centres.”
The Wangaratta Library and Community Resource Centre project has consolidated the Council and Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE libraries on a single site. For many years, there have been separate library services in the Wangaratta CBD. The public library was physically limited, which prevented the facility from expanding the range of services to a broader section of the community. The Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE library was also inadequate and could not cope with increasing demands.
The new facility is providing a range of modern, appropriate spaces and the opportunity for community members and students to interact. The centre offers an increased range of resources that could not be provided separately. Students have improved access to community library resources and the community has greater access to a significant collection of TAFE materials.
Mayor Joyce said both projects contribute to the Victorian Government and Council’s objective, which is to support the sustainability of communities and strengthen them by joined up approaches at the local level.
“Both initiatives are a first of their kind in the State,” Mayor Joyce said. “Both offer a pilot approach to the future joint venture operations between Local Government and State agencies. In broad terms, the outcomes are much improved facilities and services at a lower cost to the community.”
